Opinion: As Imran Khan rises, a look at ex-wife Jemima Khan's sacrifices
Jemima Goldsmith, Imran Khan
She was 21, he was over 40 -- while Imran Khan was resolute to enter Pakistan’s political arena, Jemima was ready to embrace a culture that was at loggerheads with her western lifestyle and upbringing.
Imran Khan’s life has been nothing short of an enigma, marred by speculations, rumours and candid revelations made by the cricketer-turned-politician himself. While the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief is making headlines for taking over Pakistan’s siyaasat, my curiosity was raked by a woman who was once an integral part of Khan’s life but watches him soar to glory from a distance today. Here's a look at the tale of Jemima Khan's decades of sacrifices, her unwavering, unconditional support for Pakistan's 'Wazir-e-Azam'Imran Khan.
In numerous television broadcast and interviews, Jemima Goldsmith Khan comes across as a naïve British millionaire who was helpless in the face of her love and commitment for enchanting Imran Khan. Their romance was out in open, talk of every international tabloid until the two defied all odds, silenced critics and tied the knot in 1995. She was 21, he was over 40;while Imran was resolute to enter Pakistan’s political arena, Jemima was ready to embrace a culture that was at loggerheads with her western lifestyle and upbringing.
Within months, Jemima Khan was seen clad in traditional clothing, covering herself from head to toe. Khan’s bride left behind her English mannerism and took to Pakistan’s streets campaigning for PTI, interacting with the locals and even trying to speak to the awaam in the language they best understood – Urdu.
One of Associated Press (AP) archival videos shows Jemima Khan hugging Pakistani women and addressing them in Urdu. In one of her public addresses during the 1990s, Jemima noted that she just started learning Urdu and seeks forgiveness if she makes an error while speaking the language.
“Mai abhi Urdu seekh rahi hu, isliye agar koi lafz ya lehze me galti hojae to mujhe maaf kar dijiye,” 21-year old Jemima Khan noted while speaking at a public event in Pakistan in 1990s.
The world called her naïve and gullible, a devout wife to a man who, even after so many years, is an indomitable force and sees no hurdles as a challenge. Imran Khan is known to pursue his interest with utter aggression and he stops not until he gets what he sets out to achieve. Jemima was probably the only woman who, although being so young, understood her husband’s attitude and stayed for as long as she could, gave up as much as she would.
“Sacrifices have to be made, Imran got to see his child when he was two days old and not until he was 6 weeks… I hope that the sacrifices will be worth it,” Jemima Khan, 1997.
Watch the full interview here:
Jemima Goldsmith knew she needed to follow Khan, be with him and stay back with a man who never followedor waited for anyone or anything
Jemima gave up eventually, after nearly a decade of supporting Imran, she called it quits and ended their 9-year-long marital bond. In an interview to Pakistani media, Imran Khan stated there were no problems as such between Jemima and him and that it got unbearably difficult for her to stay in a country for which she gave so much but got little respect in return.
Jemima faced legal actions for gifting tiles to her mother on Christmas under the charges of smuggling antics to Britain, mudslinging reached another height -- all of it took a toll on Khan-Jemima wedlock which finally ended in 2004.
“Mudslinging, you have that in politics all over the world, the only problem with Pakistan is that there is no accountability. It is very difficult to defend oneself,” she stated.
In his interviews, Khan talked about Jemima, the sacrifices she made and how Pakistan wronged her. Both maintain good terms to date. Khan often spends time with his two sons, Sulaiman and Qasim, while Jemima dotes on the father-son camaraderie and shares those priceless moments on her social media.
Jemima met Khan at the time when he was a successful sportsman and an irresistible socialite in the western world. At the tender age of 21, she decided to support Khan’s dreams. Jemima Khan saw it all, right from the inception of Khan’s PTI, his first political setback in the 1997 general elections to the euphoric moment when he became the member of the national assembly after winning from his hometown Mianwali in 2002.
“I hope they are very successful, if not then next time insha'Allah. PTI is not a political party, it is a movement,” Jemima Khan, 1997.
Fourteen years after their separation, Jemima’s sacrifices seem to have attained fruition. She didn’t bat an eye to congratulate her “sons' father” on the landslide victory during the recently conducted Pakistan general elections.
“22 years later, after humiliations, hurdles, and sacrifices, my sons’ father is Pakistan’s next PM. It’s an incredible lesson in tenacity, belief, and refusal to accept defeat. The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the first place. Congratulations Imran Khan,” she tweeted on July 26.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)